Crossing the border with Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian.

Game 75: Philadelphia at Toronto pregame

Praise the Baseball Gods Blue Jays fans, your prayers have been answered. The good doctor, Harry Leroy Halladay, is ready to rejoin Toronto’s rotation. Come Monday, Doc will be toeing the rubber at the dome against those pesky Rays.

Halladay threw in a 50-plus pitch bullpen session today and worked through all of his pitches. Afterwards, Doc declared himself healthy and ready to go. He said that mild groin strain was “completely gone” and he didn’t see why he wouldn’t be able to activated from the 15-day disabled list for Monday’s start.

Asked Halladay whether this injury might influence his decision to pitch in the All-Star Game, and he said it’s too early to make a call on that. For what it’s worth, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said he won’t hold Halladay back in any way if he’s asked to pitch, or even start, in the ASG in St. Louis.

“I would never do that,” Gaston said. “I think that it’s quite an honor to be picked or play in an All-Star Game. It’ll certainly be all up to Doc. If he didn’t want to go, that would be his choice. It certainly wouldn’t be mine. I can’t see anyway that he’s going to get around not going to the All-Star Game.

“If he wants to go pitch, let him go and pitch.”

As for those wounded relievers, Gaston said Jeremy Accardo (groin) is ready to pitch again, but lefty Scott Downs (sprained toe on his left foot) has nothing new to report. Accardo threw off the mound prior to Friday’s game and Downs threw in a long toss session on flat ground. There is still no established timetable for Downs’ return, though.

In the clubhouse, the Michael Jackson (RIP) tunes were blaring this afternoon. Marco Scutaro easily had the best moves of the players, busting out some nice footwork and a few crotch grabs during “Beat It”. Aaron Hill did part of the “Thriller” dance when that song came on. Quality entertainment.

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